Self-opening gate



(NOMleU E, J.,B. WHITAKBR.

Self Opening Gate.

No. 239,002. Patented March'15, 1881.

ggf .Je/Me f?? Qu/mk mw,

NJETERSy FNOTO-UTHOGRFHEFL WASHINGTON. P. C.

UNITED STATES ELIJAH J. B. WHITAKER,

OF BEL AIR, MARYLAND.

SELF-OPENING GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,002, dated March15, 1881.

Application filed July 2, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom t't may concern:

Be it known that I, ELTJAH J. B. WHI'rA- KER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Bel Air, Harford county, and State of Maryland, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Opening Gates; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters ot' reference marked thereon, making a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the actuating-cranks ofself-operatin g carriagegates.

It is essential to the proper working of automatic gates that theactuating-cranks shall be free to yield to the pressure of the wheel ofa vehicle going to or from the gate, and it has been found desirablealso to adjust the cranks so that they shall be free to yield in bothdirections, in order to guard them against breakage from accidentalblows. Heretofore, however, even when thus adjusted, seriousinconvenience has often resulted from the liability of the cranks tobecome locked by frost after rain or snow in winter.

The object of' my invention is to guard the cranks from all rigidity,leaving them free to yield or turn upon their pivots in both directionsat all times and in all seasons.

It` consists in combining with the pivotal beaiin gs i'or the cranks anopen grating placed under the same and covering a pit or drain beneath,so as to prevent any accumulation of rain or snow water about saidbearings, which by freezing might impede or arrest the turn ing of thecrank, or so lock it as to render it liable to be broken when struck bythe carriage-wheels from either direction.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view in perspective ot aself-operating gate with its cranks and rods. Fig. 2 is a detached planview of the hinged plate by means of which the gate is thrown open, theadjacent portions of the gate and post being shown in section.

A is the gate, arranged to be opened or closed by means ot' a plate orquadrant, B,

Fig. 2. This plate is hinged to the gate-post W, near the foot thereof,(see at r, Fig. 2,) and the lower inner corner of the gate is, in turn7hinged or pivoted to said plate at a point, y,

removed from the hinge of the plate, upon one side thereof, so that whenthe plate is caused to turn upon its pivot this lower corner of the gateis so swung out from the post as to cause the outer end of the gate tobe lifted from its latch and to swing open by its gravity.

C C are the rods by means of which the pivot-plate B of the gate isactuated, the rod C being made to actuate the plate by pushingit and therod C by pulling it, as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2.

D D are double cranks, each of which is pivoted in suitable bearings andfitted at one end with a weighted lever, E, secured toits axis, andoperating to counterbalance the crank and maintainitin an uprightposition, as shown in the drawings. Where the crank is designed to openthe gate by pulling the rod :actuating the pivot-plate B,the end ofthelever is slotted below the axis of the crank in adirection transverse tothe length of the lever, the slot being also slightly curved in an arcdescribed about the pivot ot' the lever, (see lever D at right ofthedrawing5) but where the gate is opened by pushing the rod the lever ismade to project above the axis ot' the crank, thecounterbalancing-weight hanging below it, as shown at D at the left handof the drawings.

rlhe rod C, extending from the pivot-plate B of the gate, is connectedto the levers E by pins projecting from the end of each rod and playingfreely in the slots in the levers. When the cranks D D are in theirelevated position the levers E E will be in a vertical position, and ifthe gate be closed the pin at the extremity of the rod G will bearagainst the end of the slot next to the gate, and in the rod C againstthe end of the slot removed therefrom. lf, now, a carriage-wheel orother force strikes the crank D in a direction from the gate, the crankwill turn and yield freely in that direction, for the slotted lever Ewill swing freely toward the pin in the end of the rodl and the pin willplay freely through the slot; but it' said crank D be struck in adirection toward the gate it will, as it yields and turns in thatdirection, cause the lever to swing against the pin, and, engaging it,will draw it and the rod c so as to move the pivot-plate and cause thegate to open. On the other hand, if the opposite crank, D', be turnedover toward the gate, the upper arm of the lever, swinging in ICO thesame direction, will force the pin and rod C' toward the gate and soactuate its pivotplate as to throw the gate open. lf, however, when thegate is closed and said crank D be struck or pushed in the oppositedirection, it will freely yield to the pressure, for the slot in thelever will in that case allow it to be swung over the pin withoutengaging it. ln either case, so soon as pressure is removed from thecrank D or D the counterbalanceweight of the lever E will cause thecrank to assume its proper vertical position and bring the end oftheslot in the lever to bear against the pin of the connecting-rod.

When the gate is opened instead ot' closed the action of either crankD'Dl to close it is similar to that above described, excepting that ifthe cranks be struck in a direction toward the gate they will yield tothe blow and merely swing the lever, but if struck from the gate thelevers engaging the pins will operate to close it. I 4

The pivot-bearings of the cranks D D are secured upon open gratings F F,which are placed over drains or sinks H, capable of receiving andcarrying o all water which may fall upon'the grating about saidpivot-bearings from rain or the melting of snow. Hence any accumulationof water about the bearings,

which by freezing would serve to impede or lock the cranks D D and thuslead to their being broken if then struck by a carriagewheel, isprevented and the cranks left free to turn under all conditions.

What l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, with the journals or bearings of a counterbalancedcrank for operating a self opening and closing carriage-gate, of an opengrating` upon which said journals are supported over an open drain orsink, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

E. J. B. WHITAKER.

Witnesses J. F. AcKER, Jr., DAVID A. BURR.

